PATH focuses on new Harrison (N.J.) station

Port Authority Trans-Hudson (PATH) officials highlighted the agency's commitment to a new PATH station in Harrison, N.J., on Aug. 16, emphasizing the station's growing transit role within the PATH system. Harrison lies directly east of Newark, N.J., across the Passaic River.

The Harrison project will replace the existing station, which opened in 1936, with a new, larger facility to serve not just as a origin collector but as a destination for a growing commercial presence. The station is among the last of PATH's 13 stations – and certainly the last of the seven stations in New Jersey – to receive any kind of extensive upgrade in recent decades.

The new station will handle increased ridership prompted by the nearby Red Bull (soccer) Arena, and will feature platforms able to accommodate 10-car PATH trains in the future, though platform limits exist elsewhere throughout the system.

New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie joined representatives of the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey, PATH's parent, to mark the event. Christie toured the site with PATH staff and Harrison Mayor Raymond J. McDonough.

"As commuter ridership and transportation needs grow, we must continue to make necessary infrastructure modernization investments," Christie said. "This much-needed PATH project represents another positive step in making Harrison a vibrant, mixed-use commuter transit hub while spurring community revitalization, job creation, and business investment in Harrison and the region."